Rocks for Every Room

Spending two days at a tile and stone show may not sound like a great time to you, unless you're like me and you love rocks. Stone, after all, is just a fancy word for rocks. Rocks for your countertop, rocks for your backsplash, rocks for your walls. Rocks rocks rocks.

Some of these products are, understandably, a bit expensive, but used sparingly, I think they could be really elegant and lovely. Think of them like jewelry for your home.

1 & 2. This panel, from Italian maker Fiandre, looks like slices of agate, but it's actually a very thin piece of porcelain that's been printed to resemble rocks. These panels can be used on walls, countertops, or floors, and of course they're a lot cheaper than the real thing would be, and almost as convincing (unless you get really really close, like I did in the second photo).

3. A highly veined calacatta from Italian stone supplier Henraux. This particular stone is called 'Calacata Cervaiole.'4 & 5. This granite from Brazilian stone supplier Pedra Rio, called 'Amazonita,' has a lovely green hue. I can see it being just perfect as the centerpiece of a kitchen with very modern, white cabinets, like the one in this Melbourne home.

6. Pictures, I'm afraid, do not do this stone justice. It looks like it should be in a museum. Drama drama drama. Called 'Titanium,' it's from the Spanish stone company Levantina.

7 & 8. Although this countertop looks very similar to the panel pictured in image #1, this is the real thing — actually made from hundreds of slices of rock. It's gorgeous and of course I am totally obsessed. It's also quite pricey, coming in at around $100 a square foot — maybe a delicious indulgence for a wet bar or tiny apartment kitchen. (I know that if I had this in my kitchen, I might never leave.) From Cercan tile — not shown on their website, but you can contact them for more info. 9. These agate slices, also from Cercan, come in sheets and can be used like tiles. You can backlight them, as shown here, or use them as accents on walls or floors. I think they would be perfect on the floor of a shower. They also come in green, purple, and blue — pretty much any color rocks come in. 10. Italian tile maker Sicis specializes in envy-inducing tile mosaics, but they also make this stone mosaic, called 'Delicatissimum,' from the naturally blue stone Sodalite.